This invention relates generally to the field of collapsible shipping containers, and more particularly to an improved system for handling and storing individual containers used for air transport.
In the present state of the art, such containers are equal in size to that used for railroad shipments, and some are comparably sized to containers used in ocean transport. An aircraft container commonly used measures eight feet wide by eight feet long with a height of seven feet. It typically weighs 650 pounds when empty. Such containers are intended for reuse, and are preferably constructed so as to permit the same to be collapsed for storage or for a return trip. Upon return, and before reloading, they present a problem of storage, including protection from the elements, and the occupation of considerable space at the airport where reloading normally takes place. In the case of older noncollapsible designs, the problem is even more serious, in that while such containers are normally capable of resisting the effects of the weather, they occupy still more space at the airport during storage, and because of their size, they are not readily stackable to a substantial degree. Further, because of physical space limitations, the containers must be stored at areas of the airport at a substantial distance from the point where they are reloaded.